Star-Racers and Pastries
by Wonderland in Chains
Summary: She should have just stayed home. Yet... That cute red head might make this entire trip worth while. Not to mention the rivalry going on between that cute Nourasian and Jordan, and she, and them, are oblivious! Evelyn, Molly, Star Racers and Pastries rewrite. Come hither, my gay loving brethren!
1. Walla Walla - Glass Animals

**Well, here we go again, but this time I'm going to finish this story. I'm keeping it 25 or 26 chapters, and if you haven't guessed, this is the full story to my one shots Evelyn, Molly, Star Racers and Pastries. Only I wrote that I believe three years ago? It's crap, to say it plainly. Typoes, no character depth, cheesy lines. It's pretty bad. I'm keeping it pretty close to the episodes because otherwise I'll end up not finishing it, but I just rewatched Oban again and all I could see was the ending I originally had in mind when I wrote those one shots three years ago. Since my classes are going pretty easy at the moment (I'm almost halfway through college and I can't wait to be done) and I can't seem to find a job for the life of me, I need to practice my story writing skills. Especially if I want to write a graphic novel. **

* * *

_Honey honey, don't you cry  
It's a ruse  
All these creatures are a lie  
Funny bunny, it's alright  
I clap my hands  
And they're gone into the night_

* * *

"Don't think I don't see you eyeing that mechanic girl," Evelyn hears to her right, a box of tools causing her arms to burn under its weight, yet her eyes can't seem to leave the backside of the girl with the dyed red hair and tattoos covering her face. As she glances at her adoptive brother, she can feel her cheeks begin to warm uncomfortably. She glances back at the sashaying hips once more, before clearing her throat and placing the box in the back of the van.

"Can it, Stan, I don't want to hear it," She grumbles, pushing a loose strand of dark brown hair behind her ear that was too short to fit in her ponytail of curly chocolate locks.

She can hear her brother's snicker, and it causes her stomach to clench painfully. Without thinking, she lashes out, her knuckle hitting the thickest part of his bicep. The squeal that escapes his mouth is almost comical. "Amy told you to behave," She grumbles.

"_Mom _told you to behave too," He says through a cheeky smile.

"Enough, did you guys get everything?" Her brother's best friend and partner calls in his soft voice.

"Yeah," She says as she bends at the waist to peek underneath the truck. A wagging tail and heterochromia eyes stare back.

An explosion nearly knocks her off her feet in that moment, and she grasps for the front of her brother's coveralls, his hands finding her arms in time to keep her standing.

"Kroggs!" She hears, along with the sound of gunfire as she rights herself once more. "Don't let him near the star-racers!" She barely makes out through all of the commotion.

"Shit!" Escapes her thin lips as she releases her brother.

"In the truck!" She barely registers Don Wei's voice as her brothers usher her up into the back of the truck.

"Blue!" She calls, and a mass of black fur is at her side in an instant.

"Who said you could bring a dog?!" Wei snaps as the doors to the truck close and they lurch forward. The Japanese man looks livid, and Evelyn is almost too shocked to say anything.

"I don't go anywhere without Blue," She growls.

"I don't recall even okaying you to come along," He snaps back once more. A glare is quickly working its way upon her face as she clutches Blue's collar tightly in her bruised and battered hands.

"Sir, with all due respect, she's a valuable mechanic, and Koji and I wouldn't be able to get the job done without her," Stan steps in.

"We have company, this is not the thing to be arguing over!" Koji buts in. The Krogg had hijacked one of the jeeps, and he looks awkward sitting in the small Jeep's seats.

"I've got this," Jordan says as he hoists up a plasma gun. "Get down," He calls as he pushes the door open with his foot, and Stan and Koji lunge for his legs to keep him steady. Evelyn ducks toward the front of the truck with Wei, Blue's collar grasped firmly in her hand as the dog slips backward. In a puff of smoke, the Krogg is gone.

They all give a cheer of momentary victory.

"Faster, we're almost out of time," Wei calls as he clicks the screen on the truck's control panel.

"There! There's the ship!" She calls as she stands and rights herself once more, the sun barely beginning to peek over the horizon. She feels relief settle in her stomach for a moment as they make it underneath the ship, then it's gone again in an instant. Where's Rick? She runs her fingers through the dog's thick double coat to calm her nerves as she searches the countryside for the star racers and pilot. As a yellow light begins to draw them up, she catches sight of the other truck, and a sigh of relief leaves everyone's lips nearly simultaneously.

"And we're off," Wei mumbles, his hands behind his back in a pose of false control.

Once the ship closes underneath them, everyone cautiously steps out of their respective trucks.

"Some fancy spaceship, huh?" Jordan says sarcastically as he prods the stone floor with his steel toed boots. Evelyn rolls her eyes, her boots thudding as they make contact with the trap door flooring. Blue's claws click the floor as she lands beside Evelyn, and she peers up and around curiously, her ears perked.

"Well," she starts, resting her chin on her right fist, "Nothing to do until we get there."

"Any news of how long this is gonna take, Don?" Rick questions, his arms crossed over his chest and his posture screaming "this is the most uninteresting situation I've ever been in in my entire life."

"I haven't a clue," Said man replies.

"Well, it's at least 25,000 light years away, right?" Koji asks rhetorically. "It all depends on how fast the ship is traveling. It could take as little as 12 hours to as much as 25,000 years."

"I doubt it'll take that long, Koji," Evelyn sighs out, her fist falling as she crosses her arms over her chest, her hip jutting out as she leans into the Malamute-wolf cross.

"Well, at least the 25,000 years," Stan clarifies, moving the toothpick around with his lips.

"If it really is only twelve hours, that's just enough time to catch some shut eye before we touch down," Jordan puts in with a yawn. None of them had slept the night before.

"So, which planet is it we're going to?" Evelyn questions Don. He had skipped out on telling them as they had packed, and she figured she was owed an explanation for losing sleep.

"I'm not entirely sure, young lady," Don answers simply as he glances at the faces around him and the cavernous ship they were inhabiting. "We best get some shut eye," He tells them.

_So helpful... _Evelyn thinks to herself and looks down at her feet. She wishes she'd eaten before they left, her stomach is beginning to bug her and aside from the snacks she'd packed in her bag, they weren't going to get a meal until they got to their destination.

Evelyn listens as her little rag tag group discusses different matters, asking questions and coming up with as good of solutions to them as their sleep deprived minds could create. Food and sleep were the only things on her agenda, and one of the two was out of the question because she refuses to let her secret stash be known.

She clears her throat and looks up at her brothers. "You guys wanna play a round of Egyptian Rat Race before we bed down?"

"Not right now, Ev," Stan yawns, a gloved hand coming up to cover his mouth. Koji nods in agreement.

"Solitair it is," She sighs as she goes to ruffle through her bags for a pair of sweats and her single pack of playing cards, Blue on her heels. Not caring who sees, she kicks her boots off and pulls the stiff coveralls off once she finds a black pair of sweats and pulls them on.

"Think fast, boys," She calls as she tosses a folded blanket to her brothers. It smacks Koji square in between his shoulder blades.

"Thanks, Sis," Stan calls as Koji picks the light blue blanket up off the stone flooring. She simply humms.

"You two can share."

"Got one in there for me?" Jordan asks her hopefully. She can feel her facial muscles twitch in irritation.

"No, family only. If you wanted a blanket so bad, you should have packed your own," She snaps.

"Jeeze, I was only asking," He grumbles.

A warm laugh rings through her ears, and her eyebrows pull down, though she doesn't look up. The voice is familiar enough.

"That's cold, Sweetheart," Rick says. She refuses to acknowledge him.

After her game of solitaire, where she only had to cheat twice, she wraps herself up in her comforter with her dog, part of the blanket balled underneath her head to serve as a pillow. She's amazed at how quickly she manages to fall asleep.

The next thing she knows she's being woken up by a mousy voice and the ball of fur radiating heat next to her leaving her side. She sits up, rubbing her eyes roughly until spots of white cloud her vision.

"What on Earth are you doing here?" She hears Wei's shrill snap.

"I, I mean there's no problems…" Evelyn can barely hear the quiet voice radiating from atop the star racer. "It's really okay, I'm your-"

"A problem, Sir?" Jordan interrupts the small girl with the equally small voice. "Oh, her again, huh?"

Something in Evelyn snaps. Frankly she's had enough of Jordan and she hasn't even known him for a full 24 hours. "I've had enough of you, Jordan. Shut your damn mouth and quit being a dick before I shut your mouth for you," The after feeling of sleep leaves her almost instantly as she practically shoots up, sending Jordan a heavy glare.

"Woah, woah, that is no way to speak to your teammates, young lady. I will not allow it while you are on my team," Wei snaps down in Evelyn's direction.

"Doesn't mean I won't kick his ass," She grumbles with crossed arms.

"I thought you could use an extra mechanic, sir!" Rings through the cavernous space, breaking the tension.

"Molly," Is said with the greatest amount of irritation Wei could muster in that moment. "I already have the best mechanics in the league, and as far as I'm concerned young lady, you're just a surprise and I hate surprises, have I made myself clear?!" A sigh, and Evelyn barely manages to bite her tongue. "You should have known be-"

A rumble and quake cuts off Wei's rant, and with a scream resonating through the air, a weight lands atop Evelyn's head, effectively knocking her to the ground as the wind leaves her lungs with a whoosh.

With a "watch your step, Little Mouse," the weight is lifted off of Evelyn's back and replaced by a whimpering mass of black fur.

"Blue! Stop!" She cries out, attempting to push the cross off of her, but the dog's strength prevents it.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" That same mousy voice appears next to her, though she can't look up on account of the tongue attacking her face.

"I-I'm- Blue! Dammit! Get off!" Evelyn scolds. The only thing that pulls the dog away is that mousy voice calling her name, and before Evelyn can sit up, a startled yelp filters through the air, followed by bell like laughter. Evelyn's heart skips a beat at the sound, and her eyes find that same mechanic she'd been eyeing the night before. She stands, snapping out Blue's name, and the dog jumps back to lay at her feet, her face almost content as she gazes up at Evelyn. Evelyn offers her hand to the still giggling girl, and she pulls her to her feet. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" She says after a moment of staring at the girl's pretty face.

"Yeah. You're the one I fell on, are you okay?" She asks back.

Evelyn's cheeks dust over. "Oh, yeah, fine…" She rubs at the back of her head underneath her thick drape of hair, her eyes cast downward.

Another rumble, and daylight begins to filter around the small group as a circular door falls in the side of the ship. Everyone's attention is on that doorway, and they all slowly inch forward to see where they are.

"Gentleman," Wei's voice calls from atop the trailer the star racers are resting on. "Beyond this door lays the unknown," Evelyn rolls her eyes. Motivational speeches really aren't her thing, and she's going to have the next few months absolutely filled with them. Wei hops down from the truck bed, leaving Evelyn to wonder how he hadn't broken his leg or something. He isn't exactly a young person. "The qualifying trials of the great race of Oban. It will certainly be the biggest challenge of your lives," Wei holds his arms out for dramatic effect as he comes to rest in front of the bright light radiating through the doorway. Evelyn has a hand over her mouth, attempting to hold back a full blown laugh as Molly, in quite an amusing pose, holds her tongue out at Wei. "You will give nothing less than your best, and watch your step, from now on you are the ambassadors of Earth," Wei turns around to saddle poor Molly with a glare, and both Evelyn and Molly right themselves quickly. "And don't even _think _I'm done with you, Miss."

Evelyn blows a raspberry as Rick attempts to hide a chuckle and Molly looks every bit irritated. "Fantastic motivational speech, Sir, but it was really unnecessary. We're all starving and tired of being cooped up, so how about we blow this joint instead of prattling on like we're racing the Grand Prie today, yeah?" Evelyn says as she turns on her heel to climb up into the cab of the truck hauling their star racers. She can feel Wei's glare burning her back as he seeths, but she can't bring herself to care as she pulls Blue in after her and moves to lean against the far wall of the chassi.

"Well, can't argue with that. The faster we move the faster we get a meal," She hears Rick's voice. "Everyone in, let's figure out where we need to go. Up ya get, Little Mouse," Evelyn looks up at that to see Rick lift the small girl up into the driver's seat, and she scoots out of it to find a spot next to Evelyn. Stan and Koji follow next, along with Jordan, then Wei and Rick.

Evelyn is attempting to catch a glimpse of the world outside their ship as Rick pulls the truck out into the open, and words catch on her tongue at what she sees. A "woah!" next to her says it all, and she can only nod in agreement.

Hustle and bustle of every kind of life form one could imagine in a marketplace esque setting. Aliens buying and selling goods, animals pulling carts, young and old, big and small, the unusual and not so unusual, all conversing together. It's truly an amazing sight to the two girls.

The spell is broken at Jordan's surprised yelp, and Evelyn can't help but send a glare his way.

"Wow, look at these aliens," Koji begins. "I bet no one's seen aliens like these before."

"Let 'em come! We're ready for them," Jordan says, and Evelyn rolls her eyes.

" Remember Jordan, we're ambassadors," Rick sounds irritated as he lightly scolds Jordan, but Evelyn is beginning to think that's his usual tone.

"How about ditching that gun and your ego for two minutes, Gunner Boy, I doubt you're gonna need them," Evelyn snaps, and Jordan Just glares back at her.

Evelyn's head whips the other way at Wei's voice. "Well, I didn't expect the Avatar in person, but at least they could have sent a welcoming committee," When had he gotten over there? A few knocks and Molly's light laugh have Evelyn's attention, and she gazes down, and what she finds pulls a grin upon her lips.

"Sir, I think the welcoming committee has arrived," Molly says almost happily. Evelyn scoots over and bumps into Blue as Wei comes up next to her to peer down at the elderly alien assaulting their vehicle with a stick and a wide smile upon his strage elderly features.

"Ah, great another surprise. Somehow I feel this won't be the last one today," Wei says iritably.

"Lighten up, you're taking this way too seriously," Evelyn interjects, but she is ignored. She gazes back down at the alien along with the rest of her rag tag group.

"Hello, Earthlings, welcome to Alwas! You are the ninety-sixth and last team to arrive, I daresay we no longer expected you," Evelyn's eyebrows furrow at the alien's words. How could he speak English? "Let me introduce myself, my name is Satis, faithful servant of the Avatar. I will be your temporary guide. Follow me and I will take you to your lodgings." Everyone backs up with alarm as the small elderly alien begins to haul himself up onto the truck. "I've never seen a raceship from Earth before, beautiful," he says as he walks around, gazing about. Everyone is tongue tied at his forwardness.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but this is our truck, buddy, not our ship. Our ship is right behind me," Wei motions behind himself with his thumb. He watches with confusion as Satis scrambles up to get a better look at it.

"Excuse me," Evelyn calls. "I have a question."

Satis turns his attention to her. "And what would that be?"

"How is it you can speak our language? We shouldn't be able to understand each other," Evelyn waves her hands around in her animated fashion.

"Ah, my wonderful master the Avatar has thought to take care of that particular problem for the duration of the Great Race of Oban. An All-Speak of sorts. I am not speaking your language, and you will not be speaking any other language. You can merely understand the various languages you will be surrounded by and vice versa. A wonderful idea if I do say so myself," Satis waves his little staff around lightly. "Now, if you will follow me, your star racers will be transported to your pit momentarily. We'll be riding in style the Alwas way!"

Everyone skeptically follows the elderly alien out of the truck and down to two very large worms with saddles on their backs. After everyone's belongings had been transferred to one of the worms, it was time for the humans to load up. Ladders allow everyone to clamber up on the tall creatures, and as Molly moves to join everyone else, Wei stops her with a "Not so fast, stowaway, you're riding with the luggage and dog."

"Excuse me?" Evelyn calls.

"That dog is not riding with us, she can go with the luggage," Wei says sternly as he begins ascending the ladder.

"Asshole," Evelyn grumbles and kicks the dirt as she follows after the red head with her dog on her heels. They manage to haul the hundred pound dog up into the saddle and once they settle in, they're off to their pit.

The girls are quiet, and maybe even slightly seething. Evelyn wants to say something, but it feels as if there is a blockage in her throat that's preventing her from speaking. With a small sigh, she maneuvers herself around and finds one of her blue duffle bags and rummages around within it. Wrapped up in one of the blankets, she finds boxes of pastries and salted cashews.

Pulling open the box of HoHos, she takes out a package and zips the bag back up. She wiggles back around, leaning into Blue and holds the sweets out to Molly, which immediately catches her eye.

"Where'd you get those?" She asks with her mousy voice. Its so much easier to answer a question than come up with something to say.

"I, uh, may have packed a bunch of sweets, soda and instant coffee in my bags, which you're welcome to, but don't make me regret it," Evelyn inwardly cringes. What an idiot she is!

A smile makes its way onto the other girl's lips and she gently takes the pastries from her hand. "I won't. You don't want one?"

"Nah, I got plenty," Evelyn waves her hand dismissively, her other one hidden behind her and grasping Blue's collar painfully. Evelyn's eyes fall away from Molly and to the scenery around them at the light crinkling of the plastic that tells the package had indeed been opened. Her eyes find the back of her brother's head, and she wants nothing more than to bury her face in his back to hide the dusting of her cheeks.

* * *

**Well, Evelyn came out more melancholy this time around. That was not planned, but it suits her well. **


	2. Miracle - The Score

**This story's theme is Unstoppable by The Score. Also, have a 7,000 word chapter. **

* * *

_It never goes the way that you planned_  
_Success is a door that always slams_  
_I'm trying to break it_  
_I'm trying to break it_  
_Searching for words, and praying for signs_  
_I struggle to find the rhythm and rhyme_  
_Don't know how to say it_  
_Don't know how to say it_

* * *

The rest of the ride is quiet for the girls, aside from Evelyn taking the trash back from Molly and stuffing it in her own sweats pocket. She plans to take back everything that they brought. No use littering someone else's planet with Earth trash.

The sights are amazing. She can't wait for an off day to explore the little town. They pass a few vendors selling street food, and she catches a whiff of something that smells amazing that she wouldn't mind trying later, then again hunger is the best spice. On and on they go until the town begins to sparse out and big tin looking buildings with red symbols painted on the fronts of them take over. Rows and rows, too many to count. Most are closed, but a few are open wide and she can see ships and aliens bustling about within them until they come to a stop in front of one with a symbol on it that looks strikingly like the Whizzing Arrow's front view. The truck isn't too far behind them, being hauled by more giant worms to ensure none of the locals were injured while checking out something they've never seen before. The thing that strikes Evelyn the most is just how strong those worms are, even if they are slow.

They all jump carefully out of the worm's saddle, Evelyn helping Blue and Molly down. She is enjoying the strange grass beneath her bare feet. It feels softer than Earth grass. She manages to pull one of her cases down and fish a pair of boots from it and slide them on her feet. Once everyone is down safely, Satis ushers them to see the inside of what would be their home for the next few weeks or so. It isn't as impressive as Evelyn thought it would be, dull and made of steel and it looks no different from the shop back home, only it's a little bigger. Before long, Satis is once again on the head of his worm and they take off as their racer is finally placed down in front of where it would be stored indefinitely and their second racer tucked away in the back of the hanger. She doesn't like one bit they're racing the first day. It will take two weeks to eliminate half the teams here, and two more after that until they go to Oban. Their next race isn't for another three days, and two more after that.

Once they're alone at last, Evelyn, Koji and Stan move to remove the drapes and tarps covering the racer, their backup tucked away in the back of the pit.

As the Whizzing Arrow meets daylight for the first time on this foreign planet, Evelyn glances up just in time to see the look of wonder on the red head's face as she gazes up at the machinery turned art.

Her attention turns to Wei at his voice. "Alright, Jordan, I want you to test the laser turrets," Both him and Rick are perched atop a box of supplies, effectively above everyone else to catch every movement of everyone.

Jordan is elated at the idea and rushes forward to board the star racer. Evelyn moves to stand by Koji as he wirelessly connects to the racer's hard drive.

"Can I help?" Comes that mousy voice full of excitement and hope. Evelyn's eyes find her once more as she gazes up at Rick and Wei. Evelyn's eyebrows pull down as they pay her no mind.

"Molly," Molly's eyes move to gaze at her, her hand still resting on her chest and eyes still wide and hopeful. "Why don't you come here, yeah?"

With a grin, Molly glides over and comes to rest at her left side, her attention fully on Evelyn, and her stomach flips because of it. It takes her a moment to gather her voice. "There won't be anything for anyone to do unless something goes wrong," For a split second there is a spark of disappointment in her eyes. "_But, _you will be the first person I call if there is." She leans over and stage whispers at Molly, "_I bet you can do a better job than STAN!" _

"Hey! I heard that!" Stan calls from the other side of the racer, watching Jordan move the turret around and making sure it is moving smoothly and in working order.

"You were meant to," Evelyn sing songs, and she is overjoyed that the spark of disappointment in Molly's eyes has been replaced by humor, and she gives a little mousy giggle. The mirth falls from both their faces as Jordan pretends to shoot at them, and they both give him a glare.

"That's enough, Jordan, try the other side," Wei calls.

"Don't be picking on my sister, man," Stan says in a teasing tone as Jordan passes him after exiting the racer. "After all, she's Queen B around here."

"Damn straight," Evelyn folds her arms over her chest, giving her brother a playful glare. Jordan makes a gagging sound as he comes to rest on the other side of the big box of supplies.

"You're up, Rick," Wei tells him as Stan comes to stand on Koji's left side, gazing over his shoulder at the remote computer, his right hand up at his chin and a thoughtful look on his face.

Evelyn nudges Molly with her elbow as Rick climbs the ladder to board the racer, and the girl looks at her questioningly. Evelyn wriggles her eyebrows, a grin upon her features as she quietly strides on over around the box Rick and Wei had been perched on and comes to a stop behind Jordan, who had been paying no mind as he watches Rick do his thing in the racer.

Evelyn brings her foot up, heavy work boots and all, and with all her strength, brings the sole of her boot down on his backside. Jordan falls forward with a squeal and doesn't manage to catch himself in time. He falls on his hands and knees, and Evelyn hurries back over to Molly's side, said girl giggling away.

"I'll get you for that, Princeton!" Jordan calls at her as he picks himself up with a grumble. The girls' mirth cuts off at an alarm and a reactor popping.

"Set 'er down, we have a leak!" Stan calls, waving his hand to motion his meaning. "Can you crawl back into the hanger for us, Rick?"

A thumbs up is his answer, and the racer inches backward.

"Wanna help me replace some tubing?" Evelyn nudges the girl next to her once more. Molly smiles wide at her and gives her a nod.

As everyone migrates into the hanger, Evelyn asks Molly to retrieve some tubing for her out of one of the boxes of spare parts as her and Stan climb about the star racer's left reactor, Stan on top and her up underneath to reach the tubing while Koji taps away at his tablet.

She thanks Molly as the girl hands her the tubing she had asked for. Evelyn had already disconnected the old tubing and she sets to work replacing it.

"How did you manage to get a spot on the team?" Molly asks her as she works.

"Well, to be completely honest Stan and Koji said they wouldn't go if I wanted to go but wasn't allowed," Evelyn answers. "Wei didn't have much of a choice unless he wanted to settle for second best."

"You and Stan are close, huh?" Molly asks curiously, Evelyn can hear her tone of voice, but refuses to take her attention away from her work.

"He's eight years older than me and taught me everything I know. He's my best friend and the best brother I could ever ask for," Evelyn says warmly, fully aware Stan could hear then from a few feet above.

"You two look nothing alike," Molly's voice comes from Evelyn's other side this time, and it is full of curiosity.

"We shouldn't. His mother adopted me when I was six," Evelyn tells her. Her and Stan really didn't look anything alike. Her dark olive skin looks light compared to his darker complexion, his hair straight and hers curly, his eyes brown, and hers gray. She looks distinctly Portuguese, so different than Stan and his mother, but she loves them just the same.

After a moment Molly says, "So Stan was fourteen? What fourteen year old wants a six year old hanging around them?"

"She was… Persistent," Stan says before Evelyn can answer. "She might as well have been useful if she was gonna hang around, right? So I started inadvertently showing her how to fix rocket seats and cars and eventually star racers."

Evelyn laughs. "You make it sound like you didn't like me."

"I didn't at first," Stan grins down at her, obviously teasing.

"Oh, hush. I know all your dark secrets, so be careful," she teases back.

"Psh, if you say so, little sister," Stan turns back to his work.

"Plus, he reminded me of my dad, so I kind of just clung to him like a lost puppy. I'm still that way in uncomfortable situations, unfortunately," Evelyn sighs. Molly gives a quiet giggle.

"It must be fun to have a sibling," she says, and Evelyn looks over at her at that. Molly is on her knees, Blue relaxed in her lap as best as she can be as Molly rubs up and down her head and neck.

"Hardly," Evelyn turns back to her work as Stan gives a loud laugh from above, and there's a ping as a part goes flying, and Stan gives a hissed curse at the mishap.

"I have a biological half brother, and he's never liked me and we've never got along. And Stan and I do fight. Do you want to tell the latest story, Stan?" Evelyn calls.

"No way, I don't want to start another argument," He calls down.

"Well, I was not having the best day," Evelyn starts as she tightens down the last bolt. "And I get home, mind you it's just me, Stan and Koji in an apartment, and the place is trashed! Dishes everywhere, dirty clothes because they were _finally _doing their laundry and there was a line of clothes from their rooms to the washer, their toolboxes were dumped out, and they're sitting in the living room with, I kid you not, a rocket seat that was leaking oil! And they hadn't taken Blue out for a bathroom break, so there was a puddle of piss by the door," Evelyn throws her arms up in exaggeration.

"It was not a good day for Koji and I, lemme tell you," Stan sighs. Molly gives another bell like laugh, bringing a smile to Evelyn's face as she steps back from the racer. She gazes up at her brother, hands on her hips and a wrench in one hand. "Need anything up there, Stan?"

"Nah, I've got it about done."

"So, what's the verdict?" Wei calls from atop another crate of supplies. Evelyn wonders just how he gets up there and doesn't hurt himself.

"Looks like we lost a liter of engine fluid. It's not great, but there should be enough left for one race," Stan calls over and moves to climb down off the reactor.

"With the equipment we brought," Koji begins, tapping away on his tablet once more. "It would take us hours to make the extra fluid."

Molly immediately lights up. "I saw a parts shop on our way here, they're sure to have some!" Molly pulls herself out from under Blue and springs toward her rocket seat, leaving the dog disgruntled. "It's a pretty common thing, isn't it?"

Molly's joyful mousy voice makes Evelyn's stomach drop out, and she wraps her arms around herself and gazes down at her shoes as the redhead happily makes her way out of the hanger. Her lost look drops off her face when she glances up at Stan, him wiggling his eyebrows at her and a smug look on his face that lets her know he's aware of exactly what she's feeling. Her eyebrows pull down further at Koji's confused face lighting up.

"Oh, screw you both," She hisses at them. "_Nothing _is going to happen!"

"If you say so, little sister," Stan strides on over to her, and in a low voice says, " She seems to like you, I wouldn't count yourself out yet."

"That's because I'm the only other girl here, Stan!" Evelyn whisper yells and shoves Stan away from her.

"If you say so," Stan grins. "How much you wanna bet, Koji?"

"Twenty bucks and a nice meal when we get home," Koji immediately says.

"Well, you're gonna owe me twenty bucks and a meal at that one Italian place when we get home," Stan crows. Evelyn scoffs.

"What're you betting on?" Jordan asks from his seat on a smaller box of supplies.

"None of your damn business, Wilde!" Evelyn snaps. "I was gonna make some popcorn for while we watched the first race, but screw you guys! I'll make it for myself!" Evelyn stomps off up the stairs to try to find a place to prepare food after digging out one of the containers of unpopped popcorn, a small jar of cooking oil and a pot with a lid out of one of the boxes of food while all three of the boys protest, screaming their 'Sorry!'s.

"Too late!" She says as she disappears into a large room off the side of the catwalk, Blue on her heels. She's elated to see a kitchenette at the far end, all of it made of stone, and spots on the top appear to be an orangey color, signifying that it's red hot and ready to cook something on. As dangerous as that is, she's glad. No need to make fires and have matches and try to find things to burn for cooking. This place really isn't that big, and Stan and Koji already claimed the only room downstairs as their workshop, and after that it only goes up. She's curious to see more of the pit area. About half of the pits are in sight of the finish line, the Earth Team's pit being one of them.

She sets to work, the process being easy and very fast. She enjoys listening to the kernels popping and bouncing off the inside of the pot, and within three minutes she's munching on popcorn as she carries the pot back down the stairs in her hands, Blue begging all the way, and her being careful not to burn herself on the pot or its contents as she throws a kernel down here and there.

"Hey, Evelyn, we're gonna head down to watch the first race," Stan calls, and meets her at the bottom of the stairs to pluck a handful of the fluffy white popcorn out of the pot before Evelyn can get it away from him.

"Ass," She snarls at him.

"Are you coming? We're gonna lock the pit up," Stan says through a mouthful.

"Molly's not back yet?" She asks.

"She'll be fine. It won't be hard for her to find us."

"I'm still gonna wait for her. I'll be down there soon," She says as she follows the boys out of the hanger, Stan, Koji and Jordan struggling to push the heavy doors to the pit shut. Evelyn plopps herself down against the wall of the pit and waves to the group of men as they take off walking, following the flow of traffic to the starting line.

Evelyn watches the aliens flow by with a sigh, munching on single kernels of unsalted and unbuttered popcorn all the while to make it last longer.

Evelyn's ears perk up at the sound of a rocket seat hurrying down the stone path and a mousy voice calling "I got it! I found… some," Molly hadn't seen Evelyn, and a wide smile makes its way onto her lips. "Hey, what's the big idea, you guys!" Molly moves forward, banging on the hanger door, and Blue jumps her, knocking her over and laying across her body, Molly's startled squeak filling the air. Evelyn can't help the peels of laughter that escape her, and they come faster at the disapproving look Molly shoots her when she's able to push Blue off of her. "Jerk. I got the stuff," Molly pushes herself up and holds out a bottle, green fluid sloshing around the inside.

Evelyn is finally able to quiet her laughter as she takes the bottle from the other girl's hand. "Thank you, it looks great. Hold this," Evelyn holds the pot of popcorn out for Molly to hold and pushes herself up once she takes it. "This is some really good stuff. I'm questioning whether we even need to really make our own," Evelyn tells her as the girl munches away on the popcorn. "They're down at the pit to watch the first race. Wanna head down?"

Molly nods, her mouth full of popcorn, and both girls follow the path down to the starting line, watching the various aliens milling about, some more outlandish than the last. They share a few laughs at Blue's antics. The dog is racing around the aliens as they watch her curiously, some afraid, others not. She stops here and there to empty her bladder, then continues to be a nuisance as she sniffs around aliens then darts away once she's captured their attention, though she never leaves Evelyn's sight.

"Oh, take a look at that! This place is uber cool, isn't it?" Molly asks as they come up on the racing area, old stone bleachers and an ancient temple surrounding the almost giant area. It's ancient, the area looking more like ruins than anything else. The simple sun shape that makes up the ground of the arena adds to its ancient feel. Evelyn humms in agreement as they both take in the sights as they begin to descend the bleechers to find their team.

"Where'd you even get popcorn?" Molly asks her after a moment, almost as an afterthought.

"I brought it. Its compact, easy to make and doesn't require anything extra, so why not? Plus I bet it'll keep us sane. Oh, watch-!"

Molly runs straight into a _very _big alien, and she barely manages to save the popcorn as she takes a few steps back, rubbing at her nose. "I'm sorry, I didn't… I hope you're not..." Molly cuts off as she looks up at the alien, her eyes growing wide to match Evelyn's gray orbs. Molly jumps back with a startled scream, bumping into another strange looking alien, and with a yelp, she races forward, right into a herd of smaller strange white beings and the pot of popcorn goes flying.

"M-Molly!" Evelyn calls as she races after her, barely scooping up the forgotten pot without slowing down, its contents left littering the ground and the bottle of engine fluid sloshing at her side attached to her belt. Blue barks after them, and Evelyn is too short to reach Molly's outstretched hand as she tries desperately to reach into the fray and pull her teammate back out.

Copper and white catches in the corner of her eye, and she's barely able to push herself to the side in time to dodge a more humanoid alien and keep herself upright, and she's relieved to see that this alien had managed to pull Molly out of her predicament. A Nourasian, she finally sees when she's able to take her eyes off the girl that is splayed out on the ground, Blue circling her with quiet whimpers and lapping at her face.

"Are you alright?" The Nourasian asks Molly, his low, smooth voice stalling both of the girls, and Molly slowly pushes herself up, a dazed look about her features and her cheeks a dusty pink as she gazes up at the young alien. Evelyn can feel jealousy rise in her gut, but it is conflicted with a butterfly feeling of her own. This Nourasian is very attractive, and a part of her can't blame Molly for finding him attractive, because she does too. That voice does something to her that shouldn't be happening, and his electric blue eyes are stunning, the whites of his eyes are a lighter copper color than his skin, but that doesn't detract from his handsomeness in the least, and it isn't even off putting. He looks more regal than any creature she's ever seen, and it makes her curious as to what the women of his planet look like, and in a way she's afraid to know. The spell is broken for both of them when he says, "Aren't you both a bit young to be running around without parental guidance?"

Evelyn's eyebrows drop down and her mouth closes as Molly's face changes to one of irritation.

"No? I'm older than both of you," She folds her arms at the Nourasian's raised eyebrow all the while Molly is pulling herself up and dusting herself off. That is sort of a lie, but he doesn't need to know that. She'd gotten into Nourasian culture when the Earth Coalition had discovered them and made their presence known to the Earth. Composite drawings had been released to the public on what they looked like, which was what hooked her on them in the first place, she couldn't get over their pretty ears and elaborate hairstyles that incorporated elegant metals and in other cases exotic plants that someone of Earth could not even invision without having seen them first hand, and those drawings really did not give them justice. What the people of Earth know, Evelyn knows all of it, and she must admit that they didn't know much on account of the Kroggs hanging over the peaceful planet and preventing them from allying with anyone else. They really only know about a quarter of the customs performed by the royal family and the Nourasian life cycle. She's well aware that they live about twice as long, one Nourasian year being more than two Earth years as their planet and star is much bigger than the Earth and its star. At eighteen Evelyn is probably about half this Nourasian's age, even if they are at about the same stage in their life cycles.

"Do you really think I was scared?" Molly asks, her hands on her hips as she gives the taller Nourasian a dissaproving look. "You should see the teachers at my boarding school, now that's scary!" She shifts her weight, her hip jutting out to lean on Blue and her arms crossed. "Anyway, where are _your _parents? You're no older than _I _am!" Evelyn can't help the mirth that rises on her features at the Nourasian's blank look that turns into an almost sheepish smile. It's unbelievably adorable.

"Well, in Earth years, perhaps," He says. Evelyn can't help the little laugh that escapes her at the absurdity of the situation.

"Prince! Prince Aikka, come here!" Catches all of their attentions, an older Nourasian waving down at the younger one to catch his attention.

"Your dad's calling you," Molly begins, almost snobbily, and the Nourasian moves to join his companion. Evelyn's eyes widen as Molly freezes. "Oh, uh, Prince?" She says quietly as she turns to look up at him. He turns back around with a smile to face the two girls and gives them a shallow bow.

"Please, forgive me," He says, almost happily, then hurries up to meet his companion, leaving the two girls awestruck and watching after him.

"Holy shit," Evelyn says after a minute.

"Yeah…" Molly agrees.

"Hey, Evelyn, stowaway girl, over here!" Both girls turn to see Jordan waving at them, Stan and Koji sitting on the seat above them and Rick and Wei off to their rights. With irritation, both girls move to sit with their team, Molly by Jordan and Evelyn next to her in front of Stan. She wraps her arm around Blue's neck as the dog lays into her side.

"She got the stuff, Stan, and it looks good," Evelyn detaches the bottle from her belt and holds it over her shoulder.

"It does, thanks, Molly," He says as he takes it from her hand to inspect it.

"The name's Ev-," Evelyn catches Molly's slip up as she's speaking to Jordan, and she glances at the redhead next to her. "It's Molly, got it, Gunner Boy?" She gives Jordan an irritated look, and he moves to say something but is cut off by the crowd around them erupting into cheer.

On a big screen that Evelyn knew no idea how it worked, three Scrubs in fancy robes begin to talk in unison, raising their right tentacle like hands. "We now declare the races of Alwas officially open!"

The crowd cheers louder, and they are cut off by dark clouds forming over head, thunder and lighting erupting over the crowd in a spectacular show. The Scrubs on the screen bow as a blinding yellow light illuminates the entire sky. In its place a monsterous being is left, fancy robes and wing like lights surrounding the being's upper body like an elegant halo. Everyone is in awe, and Evelyn is shocked still, her hand wrapped into Blue's collar as the startled dog attempts to bolt. Then the being begins to speak, and she can feel the baritone revibrate through her bones. It is almost painful in a way, each syllable shocking through her chest like an external heartbeat.

"Proud pilots, the truce of the great Race of Oban has allowed you to prepare for this day in peace. The wait in now over. On Alwas, you shall face one another, one on one, until only three remain. There is only one rule," There is a pause in his voice, as if adding suspense. "You may achieve victory by any means, as long as you do not attempt to take the life of your opponents. Race like the wind, champions," He holds his arms out in a glorified manner, the halo of lights on his back expanding. "toward the great finals on Oban, and towards the Ultimate Prize!" In a flash of light, the being is gone and the clouds dissipate. It's so quiet a pin could be heard dropping from the center of the huge arena, and then a huge roar overtakes the crowd once more simultaneously. Evelyn is still shocked still, Blue in her lap and her arms wrapped around her, but the spell is broken at the sound of Jordan's and her brother's cheers joining the others. Evelyn and Molly share a wide eyed look.

"For the first race," Catches the crowd's attention, though they do not settle down. "It's Nourasia versus Portlum!"

Evelyn can barely hear the gong over the sound of the crowd.

"We'll stay around for this one. Keep your eyes and ears open, everyone. We need to learn all we can about our future adversaries," Wei tells them, his arms crossed. Molly and Evelyn turn toward the arena, curious as could be.

The crowd erupts again as a giant white and blue beetle makes its way from one of the old temples, on its back the Nourasian prince.

"Hey, there's the Prince!" Molly calls, scooting forward happily.

"What do you mean 'the Prince'?" Jordan asks skeptically. "The Nourasian? I heard those low lifes are friends with the Kroggs. I would be hoping he flips his beetle."

Evelyn rolls her eyes, but notices when the Prince's eyes find Molly and he gives her a smile from atop his beetle, causing the girl's pale cheeks to dust over with pink.

"I think he's kinda cute," Molly says, folding her hands in her lap, her mousy voice taking on a sultry tone.

Evelyn's insides bottom out and she has to fight to keep the disappointment from her face. "Yeah, he is," She says, managing to keep her voice light while stroking through her dog's thick fur, whom had finally began to calm down. She can feel her brother's hand on her shoulder, but she simply shrugs him off and ignores him.

"What?!" Jordan gives them a disbelieving look. "Take a last look at Prince Charming, ladies, he won't know what squashed him," he says smugly and both girls give him a glare.

They watch in fascination as a stone gate, piece by piece, begins to drop on one side of the arena, what Evelyn assums is the starting gate. It's almost a ready, set, go to the opponents, and Evelyn is awestruck at the giant beetle that begins to hover at the drop of the second stone inside the larger, circular one. Her eyes are all on the Prince and his beetle, the larger, spiked sea urchin shaped white ship not much to look at in her opinion.

Then, as the final stone drops, both of them shoot through the opening that's left, the Portlum ship shooting forward, leaving the beetle and prince just behind it. Her eyes turn to the stone screen, and her eyes are glued to it. The Prince is trying everything in his power to pass the sea urchin ship, but it blocks the beetle and Prince every time, leaving the beetle to fall back to prevent him from being impaled. Just as the Prince finds an opening to pass the ship, it catches the beetle in between the spikes on its side. Evelyn can hear Molly's little gasp next to her, and her own stomach drops and clenches painfully, her hand leaving Blue's collar to come up and cover her mouth. The beetle drops away and tumbles through the air, its wings shooting out to catch itself and continue on with the race. Evelyn can feel relief pool in her gut, but the race is no where near done yet.

Evelyn watches in fascination as the Prince knocks one of his arrows, blue light erupting from it and circling around the beetle in an amazing dance of dazzling blue, and dissipates to leave an arrow that is glowing a brilliant electric blue with what must be magic.

And he lets it fly.

Right into the Portlum ship, and the race is over just like that as the ship is left in tact, but inoperable, smoke trailing out of its rear end. Less than two minutes and the race is already over.

The beetle meets the fallen ship at its head as it hits the ground, hovering majestically in the air as the Prince gives his opponent a bow of respect, and on the beetle goes to finish the circuit. The Prince is named the victor, and the crowd erupts in cheer once more, Evelyn giving her own howl of approval as Molly gives a little laugh and "Great!" with cheeks dusted a light pink.

"You traitors," Jordan tells them, looking extremely unhappy about the whole situation.

"Oh, get over it Gunner Boy," Evelyn leans around Molly to look at him, her hands placed smugly on her hips. You're just jealous because a Nourasian is getting more action than you are with the ladies."

Jordan looks baffled by the suggestion. "No way! Why would I ever be jealous of a loser like him? He's a Krogg lap dog for God's sake!"

"Mhmm," Evelyn hums. She turns her attention back to the rest of her group. "Lets get going, we only have a few hours to refuel and figure out out living arrangements. And we need to eat."

"That we do," Stan agrees as he and Koji stand, followed by the other three teens. They begin making their way back toward their pit, Wei taking the lead and Evelyn, Blue and Molly the rear. Evelyn is quiet as she fidgets with the empty pot in her hands, watching Blue and stealing glances at the younger girl next to her. It seems like it takes forever for them to get back, and the boys have just as hard of a time getting the hanger doors open as they did shutting them.

Stan climbs right up on the reactor of their racer to begin refueling it as Wei and Rick disappear up the stairs to begin rationing out living spaces. Evelyn is thoroughly amused at Jordan's grumpy face as he lays down and begins doing a round of sit-ups to blow off his irritation.

"Do you guys need help with anything else?" Molly calls up at Stan.

"Not right now, Molly," He calls down.

"I'll let you know, yeah?" Evelyn grins at her, trying to keep her spirits up, but she thinks it doesn't quite work, the girl's smile not fully genuine like it had been. Evelyn sighs as the other girl disappears up the stairs after Wei and Rick, Blue trotting after her, and Evelyn's eyebrows pull down. Blue's never taken so quickly to someone like that before, and it's left her absolutely baffled.

"Evy, don't let that get you down, I know how you get," Stan calls, and Evelyn looks up to see him gazing down at her, a soft yet serious expression on his face.

"What get me down?" She knows full well what he means, but she doesn't want to admit it.

"You know exactly what I mean," Stan's voice turns stern. It's a tone that doesn't sound right mixed in with his soft voice, and Evelyn hates it.

"Yeah," Evelyn sighs, looking down at her boots. "Not everyone is gay, and I'm well aware of that fact, Stan. You don't have to tell me," She looks up at her brother once more, his eyes softening even further. "The worst part about today though," She pauses for dramatic effect, and it catches both Stan and Koji's full attention. "I think I'm straight for the Nourasian!" She cries, bringing her hands up to cup around the crown of her head. It sends both boys into a laughing fit, and she can hear Jordan behind her saying, "What the hell are you talking about?"

They share a group hug once Stan climbs down off the reactor, and Jordan is still questioning her, though she ignores him, and Stan and Koji just tell him they're sworn to secrecy. Evelyn gathers enough items to make a makeshift taco soup out of canned goods and dried meat that she'd have to soak for a few minutes before she would be able to use it, and within fourty minutes everyone is gathered in their little common room with bowls of steaming soup in their hands and filling their empty as could be bellies while Wei explains their living situations. Wei would get the small top floor, Rick the spacious third floor, and the rest of the team would be getting the three rooms on the second floor. Jordan would be getting the smallest room, Stan and Koji the largest room, and the girls would be sharing the second largest room, which would barely be comfortable for two people and a hundred pound dog.

Everyone compliments Evelyn on her cooking, but she's positive it boils down to everyone having not eaten for almost a full day, and once everyone has finished their meals, they disperse to move their belongings into their respective places and unpack.

Outside of asking Molly if she wants the top or bottom bunk, Evelyn is quiet, and places her duffle bags into the corner opposite the door, and pulls Blue's plush pillow bed out of one of the bags, leaving cans of soda and candy bars within it. Evelyn places sheets and a blue comforter on her bed and looks up at Molly, who only has a shoulder bag and is laying up on the top bunk, not a pillow or separate pair of clothes to be seen other than the green and gold ones she's wearing.

"Hey, I've got extra clothes if you need them. They might be a little big for you, but it's better than nothing," Evelyn tells her as she tosses sheets and a few throw blankets up over Molly.

"Thank you," Molly says as she sits up, spreading the sheets and blankets out on the mattress.

"I also have a brand new pack of underwear," Evelyn says as she finds the package of black cotton panties in her bag and tosses those up at Molly as well.

"I should be fine, but thank you," She says, tucking the package into her bag. Evelyn tosses herself onto her bed, Blue jumping up after her and laying her head on Evelyn's chest. "Feel free to look through my stuff and use what you want or need," She offers, and beside a hum of acknowlegement, he only sound in the room is shuffling from the top bunk as Molly completes her bed and plops back down again, then the room falls quiet.

Evelyn manages to pull herself out of the bed a few hours later come race time, Molly had disappeared an hour ago with Blue and Wei had left the controls up to Stan, Koji and her so that he could go down to watch the race in person. Evelyn is left watching the stats on one computer for Koji while he types away at the other, and Stan is running his own scans and diagnostics on the opposing ship. "It's a piece of junk, but it's made of polarized titanium," Stan tells them.

"Terrific, I guess," Rick says from the monitor he's on, completely uninterested in anything but getting the race over with. Evelyn types a code into the control panel as it pops up then sits back in her seat once more with a yawn.

"He means if you try to play bumper cars with this guy you're going home on an e-vac," Koji tells him, and Evelyn raises her eyebrow at him. They built the Arrow stronger than that.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Rick tells them. And they're off, Rick shooting ahead of the tin can alien. Down the track they go, the Arrow taking hits from the other ship, being smashed into the sides and pummeled. Rick and Jordan banter amoungst themselves as they fall behind the other ship.

"Dammit, Rick don't let him do that!" Evelyn grumbles as she types codes into the computer as they pop up.

"Guys, remind me to raise the laser power by 30%," Stan calls out out as he types furiously away at his own computer.

"Check," Koji calls from his station, his fingers stationary but ready. "Molly," Catches Evelyn's attention and she looks up. "What're you doing here?"

"Something's very wrong. I think something's gonna happen to Rick," She says after a moment, and Evelyn turns all the way around, concern blooming in her gut and her hand finding Blue's head at the dog greets her.

They all turn their attention to Rick as he pops up on the screen. "How's the body?"

"Damage control okay at 71%," Koji answers.

"Switch me, Evelyn," Stan calls as he pushes off his station, and Evelyn slides over into his old one. Oh, the wonders of rolly chairs. She watches as Stan begins typing furiously away at the computer.

"I think we got this guy beat," Rick says cockily.

"Molly, everything's just fine," Koji begin, and Evelyn turns her head to look at him. "Why don't you find a nice spot somewhere outside and enjoy the show?"

Evelyn can feel her stomach begin to curdle at his words. Something _is _off, but she must not be feeling it as badly as Molly is. She strokes over Blue's ears to calm herself. Molly simply nods with a hum and turns on her heel to head back out the door. She turns her attention back to the control panel. They're in the home stretch, and Rick is managing to stay ahead of the competition.

Her heart thuds as the Arrow is knocked in the air and spins, but Rick manages to get the craft under control within seconds.

Evelyn jolts at the beeps that are emitted around them and the flashing reds on all of the screens. "Surge of heat in the cooling systems!" Koji calls, typing furiously at the controls.

"Fuck," Evelyn curses and jumps to her feet as Stan says, "What? This is _not _good."

Then static fills their screens.

* * *

**Can I just say how much I love Aikka's theme? I could listen to it forever. Like, yes please can I get a 10 hour version? **


End file.
